Compacting apparatus having means for releasing a compacted load therefrom

ABSTRACT

Improved means for breaking adhesion and facilitating release of a compacted load of material from a walled receptacle in a pressing apparatus includes a movable portion of the receptacle side wall adapted to move in a slide-like action a predetermined distance outwardly with the compacted load being removed. The movable wall portion may also be adapted to move a limited distance laterally as it moves upwardly. A lifting band encircling the load within the receptacle may be employed to withdraw the compacted load from the receptacle whereby the movable wall portion is caused to lift up and away from the load in response to a lifting force exerted on the band.

United States Patent 1 Martiniak 1 1 Oct. 30, 1973 [22] Filed:

[75] Inventor: Leonard J. Martiniak, Waukesha,

Wis.

[73] Assignee: General Electric Company,

Louisville, Ky. I

Mar. 24, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 237,825

[52] US. Cl .[100/229 A, 100/218, 100/255 [51] Int. Cl B30b 15/32 [58] Field of Search 100/229 A, 229 R,

1,736,192 ll/l929 Easton 220/17 2,095,798 10/1937 Davidson 206/45.16

737,52] 8/1903 Stopple 100/218 X 1,761,447 6/1930 Maclean 100/226 2,970,533 2/1961 Allen 100/226 3,438,321 4/1969 Gladwin 100/226 X Primary Examiner-Billy J.- Wilhite AttorneyGeorge C. Atwell et a1.

[57] 7 ABSTRACT Improved means for breaking adhesion and facilitating release of a compacted load of material from a walled receptacle in a pressing apparatus includes a movable portion of the receptacle side wall adapted to move in a slide-like action a predetermined distance outwardly with the compacted load being removed. The movable wall portion may also be adapted to move a limited distance laterally as it moves upwardly. A lifting band encircling the load within the receptacle may be employed to withdraw the compacted load from the receptacle whereby the movable wall portion is caused to lift up and away from the load in response to a lifting force exerted on the band.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures COMPACTING APPARATUS HAVING MEANS FOR RELEASING A COMPACTED LOAD TI-IEREF-ROM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to pressing apparatus and in particular to a refuse compactor having a walled receptacle or bin for holding refuse-material for compaction.

In a currently popular form of domestic refuse compacting appliance a refuse receptacle is adapted to slide relative 'to a compacting rambetween a compacting position and an unloading position. The receptacle is preferably lined with a disposable container in the form of a wrapper or bag to hold the compacted refuse and form a neat clean package to facilitate remote disposal of the refuse. Because the compacted refuse tends to squeeze outwardly during compaction and bind against the receptacle s side walls, the bag, when full to capacity with compacted trash, can be very difficult to remove manually from the receptacle. Thiszproblem was earlier recognized in U. S. Pat. No. 3,613,566, issued to Shapleigh, Jr. et al. on Oct. 19, 1971, which teaches the provision of a wall portion of the receptacle hinged to be tilted outwardly and having an integral extended portion normally adjacent the receptacle floor that serves to lever the load upwardlyas the wall portion is tilted outwardly. Another proposed answer to the load binding problem is disclosed in U. S. Pat. applications Ser. Nos. 199,266 and 199,284, filed Nov. 16, 1971, wherein releasing means to facilitate manual removal of the compacted load froma compactor receptacle includes a sling or band disposed within the receptacle. beneath the disposable bag and having handle portions projecting upwardly at each side of the receptacle. The handle portions are brought together over the filled bag whereby the sling encircles the bag and is used to pull the bag from the receptacle. The same arrangement may be used in combination with the tilt-side recepta- .cle to facilitate removal of the loaded bag therefrom.

Several problems have been encountered in the use of the aforementioned means of refuse removal. Provision of a tilt side wall feature on the receptacle is expensive and is often ignored or improperly employed by the consumer. Attempting to pull the loaded bag directly from the bin without first releasing and pivoting the side wall laterally away from the, load requires extreme pulling force and strain by the operator. This may also result in tearing the bag and/or failure by the operator to remove the bag. In the situation where the operator does tilt the receptacle side wall outwardly, it is not uncommon for the operator to overlook the requirement of thereafter relatching the tiltable side wall before the next compacting operation. Compacting a load with the tiltable side wall in its proper position, but unlatched, causes distortion if not permanent'damage to the receptacle. Receptacle distortion may trigger a safety switch on the machine that will interrupt the operating circuit in mid cycle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to the need for a the operator of the compactor to assure its proper function.

More specifically, in a refuse compactorof the type having a receptacle for receiving and retaining-refuse to be compacted by driven means such as a ram adapted to move inwardly against the trash in the receptacle, a portion of the receptacle sidewall is movably arranged whereby it will shift in a slide-like action in response to a withdrawal force exerted against the compacted trash. The movable wall portion is preferably adapted to move from a-normal position apredetermined distance to a load-release position whereby adhesion of the load with the receptacle is broken and removal of the load from the receptacle is facilitated. The movable wall portion is adapted tonot only move in response to a withdrawal force exerted on the load but also is preferably adapted to shift laterally a short distance away from the load during withdrawal operation.-

It is contemplated that improved structure including such movement of a wall portion of the receptacle may be utilized in combination with a load-lifting sling to-effect relatively easier removal of .compacted refuse from the receptacle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING I FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a compactingappliillustrate structure of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 7 FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of the structure first shown in FIG. 3 showing the re-disposition of elements thereof in accordance with the function of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1 there is shown a refuse compacting appliance 10 including a cabinet 11 having refuse support means in the form of areceptacle or bin 12. The receptacle 12 may be adapted to slide from the compacting postion within the cabinet 11 to a refuse receiving position wherein it is disposed outwardly as'shown in FIG. 1. The receptacle 12 is of a generally rectilinear configuration having a floor or bottom wall 13 (see FIG. '4), oppositely disposed side walls 14 and 15, and a front wall 16 (see FIG. 3). The inward or back endof the receptacle 12, instead of being a fixed vertical endwall, comprises a movable wall portion 17 .adapted to move a predetermined distance upwardly and laterally from the postion shown in FIG. 3 to that shown in FIG. 4.

In its normal position, as shown in FIG. '3, the movable wall portion 17 serves as the fourth retaining wall for the box-like configuration of the receptacle 1 2. It is normally disposed inwardly, adjacent opposite vertical flange portions 20 and 21 projecting toward each other as shown in FIG. 1. Horizontally, spaced-apart cross members .22 and 23 extend between the flange portions 20 and 21, as shown in FIGS. 3 and "4, and serve as base members to which the movable -wall porfrom the load so as to increase the area within the receptacle 12 during withdrawal of the load of refuse therefrom. To obtain this function it is intended that a disposable container, such as a bag means in the form of bag 28, shown in FIG. 2, be installed within the receptacle 12 to receive refuse to be compacted therein.

To further enable convenient removal of the bag 28 of compacted refuse from the receptacle 12 a sling 29 may be installed within the receptacle 12 prior to insertion of the bag 28, as shown in FIG. 1. The construction and use of such a sling is specifically described in the aforementioned US. Pat. application No. 199,266. The sling 29 generally comprises an intermediate portion 30 formed from a thermoplastic sheet. The sling conformably fits the inside of the receptacle 12 whereby oppositely disposed handle portions, such as 31, project outwardly from the receptacle 12. The handle portions 31 are adapted to be folded, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, whereby they may each be retained against the outside surface of the receptacle 12 by retaining means such as clamps 33.

The bag 28 may be of the type generally disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 3,667,38l issued to Bottas et al. on June 6, 1972. The bag 28 has a double cuff portion 34 that is folded outwardly over the top edge of the receptacle 12 as shown in FIG. 2. During compaction the cuff portion 34 of the bag 28 is also held by the clamps 33 and is preferably disposed within the folded handle portion 31 of the sling 29 on each side of the receptacle 12. After the bag 28, within the receptacle 12, is substantially filled with refuse and compacted by a ram 36, as shown in FIG. 3, the cuff portion 34 of the bag 28 is manually closed over the compacted refuse and wrapped to form a package of the refuse (see FIG. 3). Thereafter, the handle portions 31 of the sling 29 are manually withdrawn upwardly and brought together over and above the closed bag 28 (see FIG. 4), whereby a lifting withdrawal force may be exerted on the sling 29 to pull the load upwardly and out of the receptacle 12. The lifting force applied against the loaded bag 28 is translated therethrough as friction against the side walls of the receptacle 12. This frictional force exerted against the movable portion 17 causes it to immediately begin its slide-like action upwardly and laterally away from the loaded bag 28.whereby the load may be thereafter relatively easily withdrawn upwardly out of the receptacle 12 for disposal. When the loaded bag 28 slides upwardly and out of contact with the movable portion 17, the movable portion thereupon drops automatically back to its normal position from its own weight. Thereafter, the sling 29 may be replaced in its operative position within the receptacle l2 and a new bag 28 may be disposed over the sling 29 within the receptacle 12 for receiving refuse therein.

This invention is not intended to be limited to the particular details of construction of the single embodiment illustrated and described. It is anticipated that various other modifications or applications will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore intended that the appended claims shall cover such modifications and applications as do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A refuse compactor having a receptacle adapted to support bag means for receiving refuse to be compacted, ram means for selectively compacting the refuse in the bag means within the receptacle, and means facilitating manual withdrawal of the bag means with the compacted refuse from the receptacle including a wall portion of the receptacle adapted to temporarily move a predetermined distance from a normal position to a load-release position in response to the bag means, with compacted refuse therein, being withdrawn from the receptacle.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the movable wall portion of the receptacle is arranged to move generally in the direction of movement of the bag means as it is withdrawn from the receptacle.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein the movable wall portion is adapted to also move laterally relative to the bag means as the bag means is withdrawn from the receptacle.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein the movable wall portion, when in its load-release position, is in a different but generally parallel plane compared to the plane it occupies when in its normal position.

5. The invention of claim 1 wherein the receptacle is generally of a rectilinear configuration having pairs of oppositely disposed side walls, and the movable portion is one of the side walls.

6. The invention of claim 1 wherein the movable portion is pivotally mounted to move between its normal and load-release positions.

7. The invention of claim 1 wherein the receptacle is of a box-like configuration having an open top through which the ram means moves to compact refuse therein, and the movable wall portion is adapted to move by shifting upwardly and laterally as the bag means, with compacted refuse therein, is withdrawn from the receptacle.

8. The invention of claim 1 wherein the movable wall portion is an entire side wall of the receptacle.

9. The invention of claim 1 wherein the side walls of the bin, except for the movable portion, remain stationary as compacted trash is removed therefrom.

10. A trash compacting appliance having a movably mounted ram, a bin for holding refuse for compaction by the ram, the bin having an open end for receiving the ram and side walls for retaining compacted refuse, releasing means within the bin to facilitate manual removal of trash therefrom including a band-like, loadlifting sling installed within the bin and conforming generally to the shape of the bins inside surface whereby trash compacted within the bin is compacted against an intermediate portion of the sling, and at least a portion of the bins side wall being adapted to shift and thereby break adhesion of the compacted refuse from the bin as an incident of manual force being exerted on the sling to lift the compacted refuse from the bin. 

1. A refuse compactor having a receptacle adapted to support bag means for receiving refuse to be compacted, ram means for selectively compacting the refuse in the bag means within the receptaCle, and means facilitating manual withdrawal of the bag means with the compacted refuse from the receptacle including a wall portion of the receptacle adapted to temporarily move a predetermined distance from a normal position to a load-release position in response to the bag means, with compacted refuse therein, being withdrawn from the receptacle.
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the movable wall portion of the receptacle is arranged to move generally in the direction of movement of the bag means as it is withdrawn from the receptacle.
 3. The invention of claim 2 wherein the movable wall portion is adapted to also move laterally relative to the bag means as the bag means is withdrawn from the receptacle.
 4. The invention of claim 1 wherein the movable wall portion, when in its load-release position, is in a different but generally parallel plane compared to the plane it occupies when in its normal position.
 5. The invention of claim 1 wherein the receptacle is generally of a rectilinear configuration having pairs of oppositely disposed side walls, and the movable portion is one of the side walls.
 6. The invention of claim 1 wherein the movable portion is pivotally mounted to move between its normal and load-release positions.
 7. The invention of claim 1 wherein the receptacle is of a box-like configuration having an open top through which the ram means moves to compact refuse therein, and the movable wall portion is adapted to move by shifting upwardly and laterally as the bag means, with compacted refuse therein, is withdrawn from the receptacle.
 8. The invention of claim 1 wherein the movable wall portion is an entire side wall of the receptacle.
 9. The invention of claim 1 wherein the side walls of the bin, except for the movable portion, remain stationary as compacted trash is removed therefrom.
 10. A trash compacting appliance having a movably mounted ram, a bin for holding refuse for compaction by the ram, the bin having an open end for receiving the ram and side walls for retaining compacted refuse, releasing means within the bin to facilitate manual removal of trash therefrom including a band-like, load-lifting sling installed within the bin and conforming generally to the shape of the bin''s inside surface whereby trash compacted within the bin is compacted against an intermediate portion of the sling, and at least a portion of the bin''s side wall being adapted to shift and thereby break adhesion of the compacted refuse from the bin as an incident of manual force being exerted on the sling to lift the compacted refuse from the bin. 